Sweetest Goodbye
by Manami Hiroshi
Summary: What happens when Hermione shows up one term looking...diffrent? And everything Harry and Ron say doesn't make a diffrence to what she's decided...


**Author's Note: I want to know your opinion, should I leave it a one-shot or make it a story?**

**Disclaimer: I don't have to own Harry Potter to make fics. about them, but I do own Harry Potter shaped cookies. :P

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_**Sweetest Goodbye  
**Story By: Roonil  
Poems By: Someone Else  
_

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**True** friendship_ is_ **when** _two_ friends can **walk** in _opposite_ **directions**, yet _remain_ **side** by _side_...

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"Where do you think Hermione is?" Harry asked. Ron shrugged his shoulders and both Harry and Ron made their way to the Gryffindor Table. 

"Probably reading a book somewhere, who the hell cares? I mean has she ever heard of a comb before? It's like a garden on her head! Besides have you forgotten what she did? She hurt us too Harry!" Ron said rudely. They sat down and waited for the first year sorting and the ceremonial feast. Harry and Ron's friends sat down and talked about their summer. Everyone was seated, and then the Great Hall door reopened again. Everyone settled down and watched Professor McGonagall lead a bunch of nervous first years across the Great Hall.

"Seriously Ron, I think there might be a chance she won't come back." Harry whispered to Ron as McGonagall started calling up first years.

"Thank god! I was hoping she wouldn't come this year!" Ron said,

"Ron how could you say that? She's been our best friend since our first year! She's helped us get out of situations and we might be dead right now if it wasn't for her! Don't you remember all those memories Ron?" Harry asked.

* * *

_You_ never_ **truly**_ forget someone **who** _once_ **made** you _smile..._

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"Memories fade and die Harry, get with the times. Have you ever seen Hermione hang around anyone else besides us?" Ron asked. 

"Well, no, but she's been loyal and-"

"Harry, all I hear is nonsense coming out of your mouth!" Ron said. Harry and Ron were shushed by people nearby. Harry and Ron decided to leave it at that and watched the rest of the first years get sorted. McGonagall called name after name and the houses cheered. When the last kid was sorted Dumbledore stood up.

"I can detect by your ravenous faces that you are very famished, but we have one more matter to tend to." Dumbledore paused. "A student has requested a House Exchange, it seems she was not happy in her current house and would like to exchange. So will the student who will be exchange please come forward?" Dumbledore said. Everyone looked around to see who was being exchanged.

The Great Hall doors opened and a girl with long, straight, hair came forward. She was already dressed in the Hogwarts uniform and was wearing a Gryffindor tie. It was strange to Harry and Ron since they don't recall seeing her in Gryffindor. Her uniform skirt was higher than it was supposed to be. To Harry and Ron she looked like a British model. She walked between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw until she reached the stairs in front of Dumbledore.

"Who's that bird?" Ron asked. Everyone around him shrugged.

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore said. Ron had spit out his drink on poor Dean and Seamus. There were whistles and shouts. Harry couldn't believe it either. The girl that was believed to be Hermione turned around as if a model turning in a fashion show. She smirked and waved.

"I don't believe this! When did she become such a..." Ron said. He couldn't finish since everyone knew what he was going to say. Dean and Seamus just glared at him.

"Now are you positive you want to exchange to Ravenclaw?" Dumbledore asked. Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron then turned around.

No one around Harry and Ron heard what she said but watched as she reached forthe Ravenclaw tie.The time Hermione looked over at Harry and Ron. Harry knew this was about what happened over the summer. Ron just slouched in his seat; he had wished he hadn't said all that stuff he said about Hermione.

Harry watched Dumbledore give Hermione a Ravenclaw tie and she took off her Gryffindor tie. She walked past Harry and Ron and sat next to Cho and Marietta. Seamus leaned back to pick up something, he held it over the table. It was a Gryffindor tie with what looked like a footprint on it. Harry and Ron watched Hermione laugh and socialize with her knew friends.

* * *

**A** _real_ best **friend** is _like_ _a_ four **leaf** _clo_ver; hard _to_ **find**, lucky **to** have...

* * *

Harry and Ron felt like crap, their best friend had turned on them. The food appeared on the tables and Seamus tossed the tie on Ron's head still mad about Ron spitting his drink. No one had noticed but he slipped the tie in his pocket. All Harry and Ron could look at was their ex best friend chatting it up the way she had done to them in the past. Harry missed the calls they made to each other over the summer, Ron even missed the way she'd pester him about the summer homework. 

As they wished to get their old friend back, (still looking the way she is now of course.) The food had disappeared and most people rushed over to the new Ravenclaw. Harry and Ron tried to go past the crowd that was crowding Hermione. She was explaining a question to a Gryffindor when she called Harry's name.

"Harry! Over here!" The new Hermione called. Harry walked over awkwardly to Hermione as many eyes lay upon him.

"Well, you can only do a house exchange if the Sorting Hat gives you two or more choices of houses. For example, Harry is in Gryffindor. He could switch to Slytherin at any time possible since the hat had given him the choice of either Gryffindor or Slytherin." Hermione explained in a show-off way she'd always had when doing a presentation or explaining something important. This time people were listening to her instead of nodding off.

"The hat had given me either the choice of Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. So lately Gryffindor hasn't been working on me and I switched to Ravenclaw." Hermione said.

'Thank you Harry, I'll see you later!" Hermione waved. Harry did not understand why he had to stand there next to Hermione when she could have said it herself. Harry disliked it when he would be reminded that he had a choice of going into Slytherin. Harry walked up the steps in the Main Hall leaving Hermione and her "new friends" alone. He found Ron had been spying on what had been going on.

"What did she say?" Ron anxiously said.

"She just explained something that I was sort of involved in and there was no reason for me to be there. So the whole thing was pointless." Harry said in a boring tone. Both of them lazily made their way to the portrait. When they finally reached the corridor of the portrait Dumbledore had been standing right next to the portrait.

"Good evening boys, I presume your evening has been going well?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes, thanks for asking Professor. You wouldn't happen to know the password to the portrait do you?" Harry asked.

"You may go in, but I will change the password once Miss Granger has exited." Dumbledore said.

"Hermione is in there?" Ron asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, the password for now is Farewell" Dumbledore had stressed the last word so the portrait heard. Harry and Ron stepped into the Common Room and found Hermione standing in the middle of the room with her trunk right beside her. Her back was to them, so they had no idea she had tears running down her face.

"Hermione?" Ron said. They had heard a sniffle and she still faced the opposite of them.

"Yeah?" Hermione asked trying not to sound like she wasn't crying, that failed.

"Hermione, are you crying?" Harry asked.

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Those who **make** **you** cry, **aren't** worth _your_ tears. **Those** who_ are_ **worth** your tears, will **never** make _you_ _cry_...

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"Wouldn't you when your about to leave what served as your home for quite some time?" Hermione asked. 

"I guess." Ron said doubtfully.

"Why leave it then?" Harry asked. Hermione turned her head a little.

"Because I think it's time to move on, be open to new experiences." Hermione said.

"Why leave us? The people who had been your friends since your first year! If it wasn't for you we would be dead, and the same thing around!" Ron exclaimed.

"I need to live my last year here...like I planned." Hermione said simply.

"Like you planned? What do you mean? Wait...I know what this really is about Hermione! What happened over the summer...we're...well I'm really sorry, I really am!" Harry said. Hermione just chuckled.

"I even forgot what had happened; I was too busy thinking it through." Hermione said.

"Thinking what through? Hermione, your not making any sense!" Ron said.

"What happened over the summer was nothing. The summer before I enrolled at Hogwarts is where it all happened. You see my when I got my letter; I was so shocked and excited. When I was even littler, I always believed in magic and always fantasizing about going to a distant land where there were witches and wizards. So when I got my first wand, I also bought one hair care spell book.

When I got home, I decided to try out a spell in the upstairs bathroom. I had no idea I had just bought one of the most powerful hair care spell books in the wizarding world. So when I tried a spell, I ended up with the curly, brown, mess you saw over the years. I know it seems petty, worrying about hair.

This summer I guess it had worn off, and then I realized if I went to school looking like I do now. Our friendship wouldn't be the same. So I pulled that diva stunt in the Great Hall, I realized when my hair finally changed back that I need to move on.

So now, I have to say goodbye. We may see each other over the year, maybe even stop and chat for awhile, but always remember this I will leave for Europe when the term is over." Hermione said finally finishing. It seemed she had been talking forever.

"But Hermione..." Ron started, Harry had cut him off.

"Will we ever see you again?" Harry asked.

"Don't worry you will, our paths will cross one day." Hermione said. Harry felt as if Hermione had been talking straight out of her soul.

* * *

If _you_ **love** something, **set** it _free_. If it _comes_ **back**, it's **_yours_**. If it does **not**, it _was_ **never** _meant_ to _be_...

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"Ron?" Hermione asked. Ron's head snapped up and looked at her. 

"Y-yeah?" Ron said nervously.

"There's always been something about you. You are the boy who has been so strongly irritating, yet there was this feeling. My heart has been aching for me to do this, now I'm not scared anymore." Hermione said.

She turned around, and slowly walked toward Ron. Ron started breathing at an odd pace. When Hermione stood right in front of Ron, she stood on her toes and kissed him. She pulled away; Hermione was smiling at Ron's stupid reaction.

"Uhh...uh..." Ron muttered after the kiss. Harry snickered at his friend's shocked reaction.

"Harry..." Hermione said and turned to Harry. Harry became a little nervous too.

"You have been the best friend a girl could ever ask for. You have always been nothing but loyal to me, just wish I could have been loyal." Hermione said.

"Hermione, you were loyal, and even more things I can't think of right now." Harry said. Hermione chuckled again.

"If I were loyal then you would have known this many years ago. I wanted to tell you and Ron but-"

"You were afraid that we wouldn't understand and somehow it would leak out and spread over school." Harry finished for her.

"You were always the one to understand." Hermione said smiling. Hermione stared over to her suitcase. There were a few minutes of silence, it wasn't awkward at all, more like spiritual. Finally one of them spoke.

"I guess I'll be moving now." Hermione said. Tears were flowing down her cheeks again. She clutched the handle of her trunk, but she did not move.

"Hermione...you don't have to leave." Ron suggested.

"But I must. It is...what my heart...is telling me." Hermione said getting out the words through her tears.

"If it's you heart that's telling you, then you have to do it." Harry said putting a caring hand on her back.

"You don't have to do what it says." Ron suggested again.

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**_Smile_**, because _**you**_ never **know** _who_ might **be** falling _in_ love **with** _your _**smile**...

* * *

"Ron, just because you don't have a heart doesn't mean Hermione doesn't have one." Harry said trying to make Hermione laugh. She laughed a little and tried to pull her trunk. Harry and Ron watched her struggle with her trunk. Ron stepped forward to help her but Harry stopped him. They watched her carry it, deeply hurting that she was leaving their lives. She stopped in front of the portrait hole, she stared and Harry and Ron gave her a reassuring smile. 

"Never give out." Harry said.

"Never give in." Ron said.

"Never give up." Hermione said.

She stepped through the hole and carried her luggage with her. They did not move they were hearing Dumbledore ask Hermione if she had everything. Then they heard Dumbledore mutter something, the sound of steps fading away reached their ears. A few moments later Gryffindors came flooding in the common room, most of them asked Harry and Ron what was wrong. From them on, they knew they would always follow the hearts. This was the Sweetest Goodbye, or was it?


End file.
